Machine for use in the waxing and burnishing of leather



Jan. 14, 1930. w, BARCLAY ETAL 1,743,183

IMMUNE-FOR USE IN THE WAXING AND BURNISHING 0F LEATHER Filed Sept. 16. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

55 Z ,55 7 J0 6540 d? 7 59 -W NVE/VTU/ES: F1 1::1 g 45 w m 9 above.

Patented Jan. 14, 1930 unites STATES- PATE T OFFICE.

WILLIAM RODERICK BA-Rs'GLAY A-N'D REGINALD BOYD WGODCQCK, OF LEIGESTEE,

ENGLAND, ASSIGNG'RS TO UNITED SHGE IVEAGHINERY GORPOBATION, OF YATER- SON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATIG-N GINEW JERSEY MACHINE. FOR USE IN THE WAXENTG AND BURNISHING? 03B" LEATHER Application filed September 16,. 1927, Serial- 1%..

Ihis invention relates to machines for use in the waxing andburnishing of leather, and. is illustrated herein as embodied in. a machine for so treating; leather after it has'been made into shoes.

An object of the invention. is to: provide an improved, conveniently. arranged machine for waxing andburnishing shoes. The illus-- trated' machine comprises a wax-applying, roll, a cylindrical burnishing. roll having a relatively wide work-engaging face, a rotary brush, and a burnishing roll having a relatively narrow, rounded, work-engaging face, all in axial al'inement and in the order stated: A third burnishing tool in the form of a rotary pad. is carried on the lower end of a forwardly eXtending,. downwardly inclined shaft mounted in. the frame of the machine and is slightly above and in front of the last-mentioned burnishing members.

WVe have found that this arrangement ofwaX- supporting and burnisliingtools, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, affords the maximum of convenience to the operator and enables him to handle the work more expeditiously than has heretofore been possible.

The waxes commonly'used' for burnishing purposes may be most conveniently applied to the Work by means of rol w is liavi absorbent surfaces upon which wax must be rendered molten: We have found that rolls having-felt covered surfaces are well adapted? for Wax-applying purposes, but felt, being a poor conductor'of heat, requires theuse of a heating'medium which may be raisedv to a high temperature. In view'of these requirements and the characteristics of oil which enable it tomeet them, we have found oil to be a most advantageous medium; However, Whenheated, the more volatile constituents of the oil are driven off, leaving a heavier heating mediumwhich, duringthela-ter stages of its useful life, tends to congeal in the abruptly curved portions of the: piping system by means ofwhich the heating mediuma is conducted from a heat source to the wax-applying roll. Hence; it; is desirable that the operator-of the machinein which the invention is embodied bewarned of: a stoppage or an;- a-pproaehing stoppage in the 219,954r', and in Great Britain October I, 1926*.

heatingsysteim To this end and. in. accord ance with. a. feature of. the invention, the variousv parts of the illustrated waxing, de-

vice are heated by oil flowing serially through them, being. apparent that a visible dimi nutionin. fiow of the heating. mediumlwill. in

dicate an obstruction in the serial piping feature of the invention, the control meansprovided for regulating the. heat supplied to the heating medium is so connected to the drlvlngcontrol as to turn on: the heat when the roll is started and toshut off theheat when the roll is stopped.

In accordance with another object. of. the lnventioma novel device has also been provided for tensioning a fahric cover, such as knitted stocltinet, over the felt roll of the waxing device. To this end the illustrated device comprises a hub for. supporting the roll encased by the cover and constructed and arranged to clamp one end'ofthe cover thereto, and meansto grip the otherend of the cover independently of' the roll and to hold. the cover stretched over the roll. illustrated, the cover is stretched by the relative separationlof the above-mentioned gripping means one of which may slide axially along the hub.

These and otherfeaturesof the invention will be more fully understood from the fol:- lowing description of the machine in which theinventi'on is shown as embodied, and will be finally pointed out in the'claims;

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. I isa" front elevation of" one illustrative machine according to the. invention;

Fig. 2is a right-hand side" elevation ofthe machine r Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a burnishing roll and dust hood of the machine;

Fig. 4; is a longitudinal section through a waxing roll and associated wax-spreading roll of the machine, and

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a heating arrangement for the waxing r011.

One illustrative form of machine (which in the following description will be considered as being viewed from the front) comprises left-hand and right-hand side frames 1 and 2 extending rearwardly and joined together by tie members (not shown) and by. atable 4 fixed to the top of the side frames. Each side frame near the bottom thereof carries a bearing for a driving shaft 201 extending across the machine. This shaft carries fast and loose pulleys for a belt by which it is driven and has on it various pulleys for driving the various devices of the machine.

The table 1 at the top of the side frames supports the various operative instrumentalities of the machine. At the right-hand side of the machine is a waxing roll 5 for applying wax to the shoe bottom. At the left of the waxing roll and some four inches from it is a bottom burnishing roll 6, axially in alignment with the waxing roll 5, for burnishing the shoe bottom at the heel and sole. Next to the burnishing roll at the left thereof and some two and a half inches away from it in that direction is a rotary pad 7 for burnishing the waist of the sole close to the breast and the breast face of the heel, the rotary pad being above and in front of the waxing and hur nishing rolls and its axis being upwardly and rearwardly inclined at an angle of some 60 to the horizontal. At the left of the rotary pad and some four inches from it is a rotary brush 8 for brushing the shoe bottoms after they have been waxed and burnished. This brush is some three and a half inches wide and some ten inches in diameter at its left-hand end and is tapered towards the right to a diameter of some eight inches so that the large end of the brush may enter the angle between the breast face of the heel and the face of the sole at the waist. At the left of the brush 8 and some five inches from it is a burnishing roll 9 for burnishing that part of the waist of the sole which cannot be oper ated upon by the'roll 6. Q

The bottom burnishing rolls 6 and 9 and the brush 8 are fixed on a roll carrying shaft 10 which extends across the machine parallel to the driving shaft and which is rotatably mounted in two bearings 11 and 12 carried by a pair of brackets l3, l4 fixed on the table 4. The bearing 14 is positioned between the bottom burnishing roll 6 and the tapered brush 8 and the other bearing 18 at the left of the brush 8 and between that brush and the roll 9. A pulley 15, fixed on the shaft 10 between the bearing 12 and the tapered brush '8, is connected by a belt to a pulley on the type ordinarily used for butting the portions of the soles of shoes immediately adjacent to their heel breasts, a cloth cover being used instead of the ordinary abrasive cover. The pad 7 is fixed on the lower end of a spindle 17 which is upwardly and rearwardly inclined and the centre of the lower face of the pad is some six inches in front of the vertical plane through the axis of the roll shaftand some four and a half inches above the horizontal plane through that axis. The spindle 17 is rotatably mounted in hearings in a block 18 fixed on the forward upper end of an arm 19 which is fixed at its lower end to the top of the bracket 14. Between the bearings on the block 18 are fast and loose grooved pulleys 20, 21 for a round belt which passes over guide pulleys 22 carried by a rearwardly extending part of the arm 19 and round a grooved pulley on the driving shaft. The pad 7 is driven at a speed of about 2300 R. P. M. A belt shifter mounted on the block 18 enables the operator readily to stop the pad without stopping the rest of the machine if he desires to renew the cloth cover.

The bottom burnishing roll 6 is about seven and a half inches in diameter and about four and a half inches wide and comprises a sleeve, fixed on the roll shaft 10, having fixed on it a felt roll covered with stockinet. partly encircles the burnishing roll and has a pipe 2 1 connecting the hood to the previously mentioned dust extracting means. A heatng member (e. g. a gas burner) is situated inside the hood near the back of the hood and below the roll for warming the surface of the pad and the dust extracting pipe 24 has in it a slide 25 for closing the pipe near the exit from the hood so that the heating member and the dust extracting device may be used either singly or together. The front portion 26 of the hood is pivoted at 127 (Fig. 3) to the hood 23 so that the portion 26 maybe swun up out of the way when it is desired to changzthe cover of the roll. The burnishing roll 9 is some seven and a half inches in diameter and 18 about one inch wide and is covered with stockinet. It has a convex surface, the radius of curvature in section of which is substantially less than the radius of the roll, owing to the relative shortness or narrowness of the roll. This form of roll enables it to operate upon portions of the shank and of the heel brea st which would be inaccessible to roll 6 T116 waxing roll 5 is some six and a half inches longand some three inches in diameter and comprises a tubular stockinet cover 27 A hood 23 on a. telt foundation: 2.8 which fixed on ai metal. sleeve; 29.. The;endsof'thecovenfl are: clamped against a flange termed. on. one: end of the metal. sleeve 29. and a. flange 311'. keyed. on the: other end of: the, sleeNe;

The ends of: the: cover. areclamped against, the. flanges 30,. integrai with the: hub, and independently adjnstably along-the sleeve 29.. by collars. 32-, loosely; mounted: on: extensions 34:, 35 of the flanges 30;. 3h The.- col-la-rs 32., 33 are pressed. towands the flanges 30, 3,1 to.clam.p the: ends-0t the cover bynuts 36, 37 threaded on. the extensions 3%; 35.; Threaded. on the: end: of the. extension 35 is a nut 38 which. bears: against; the end} off. the; sleeve 29' and byadjustment of: which nut the. extension: 35,. flange 3-1,.co1lar; 33g. and: nut 37- may be d-izawn axially along the; sleeve; and outwardly with. respect to therend tace: of the waxing roll 5 to stretch thecoven 27. length-- Wise. A collar 39 is fixed on the shaflit 4&1, on

which the sleeve29 is: rotatably' mounted, to

prevent endhvisemonementoi the sleeve thenut. 38. on the shatt. The roll. aisdriaven. by a chain passing round a sprocket wheel 41 which is screwed om to; air. adapter 421 into. which ispressed one end of aisleeve'i motat ably mounted: on. the shafted. The adapter has on it a key-445. which. enters agrooveinthe end of the extensionfittomake adriving connection between the. adapter 42 and, sleeve 29;. By removing-the collar 39' the sleeve and. the

parts carried byitima-y beidrawne otttheshafit; without, disturbingthe' dri' zving'connection. of the sprocket, wheel. 414 The shaft 40 is. clampedin a bracket 45 (Fig; 2-); fixed on the rightha-nd end: of: the table t. The chairr whichipassesover 'thesprocket wheeli il passes. round a second sproeketwheel'. on: a. countershaft. 203. (Fig. l): mounted: a; bearing-on the right-hand side frame. 1. The counters shaft 203 is driven by aibelt from pulley on" the driving shaft of'the: machine and'i relative sizes of the pulleyson the driving shaftand countershaft and of the sprocket" wheels are such that the waxing roll is drivenat about 155 R. P. M.

Above the waxingroll 5iis;a metalrollie'ti which, is pressed: against the surfane of the roll 5-to form the latter initsori-ginal sha-peif it. has been distorted by the. application of; the work against it and; to distribute the wax. The wax-spreadingroll'46 is rotatahly mounted. on an eccentric portion-1 4:7 (Fig. 4): of a. sleeve 48 which is rotatably mounted, in a casing 4C9; Thesleeve 48, at. oneendhasg proejecting from it an arm 50; carrying a spring pressed plunger 51 whichis arranged toenter one of a series of holes. 52. (Fig.2), formcdin. a segment 53 on the casing 49.. By pulling" out the plunger 51' and. rotating thesleeve 48} the roll 46 may'be'raised'outof 'orlowered into contact with the roll 5' andmovement ineither direction is limited by a pin 545m the'casing 49- and stops 55', 56 on the sleeve 48. The

nner: surface oithee easing 49Ewheue1iit passes;

behind the rolik 5 is covered by a detachable. metal; sheet 721. which engages; they roll and prevents wear". on the casing; The; surface of. the sheet nearest. the wit 5- is curved to; substantialhy the sameradius astheoutei: surfiaee: ofthe rolltisothatifthe surface osii'thesheet. is moved into or'neamlyinto engagement with theroll the rollwil'l be heated by the casing, the; casing? being heated as hereinafiter iescribed. The casing s9: is. fixed to a slide 57 which ismozun-ted ina guideway fOLlTlGdE in the braeket45 which carnieszthe roll 5. Thecasing 49 is fixed to the slide 57 bybolts 58'fixed inthe slide 57 and passing through arcuate slots 59 intheicasingsoithat when. the bolts are sl'aeheneds the casing-may be swungabout the rohi 5.. The guideway extends: rearwardly and upwardly at an angle of some fifteen degrees; to: the honi'zontal; The slide 5T is: clamped in the guide-way a thumb-screw 60! threaded through the slide and" engag-ing:

thebottomoii the guideway. A screw 61 is threaded; through: a lag 62 on thesl ide and engages; the bracket at the rear end of the guideway to? limit. forward movement ofthe casing towardsthe waxing roll. handle 63 is fixed? on the: slide-by which thecasingmay be moved rearwardly and forwardly.

The waxingrol'li 5 and? the roll 46-: may be heated by a hot oil circulating. system. The oil is-heated in. a coiled-tube heater 1 01 (Fig. 5 carriediby a bracket fixed to the right-hand side frame: near the bottom of the frame. Fromstheheater 1'01: a pipe 64*passesupwardk 1y. to thel'ower end otthe-casing QQ. At pi e 65 leads: from: the casing, to. the right-hand end; of and through the" sleeve ALIS-011" which: the roll 46 is mounted and firom. the i le f -hand end of the sleeve upwardly and then downwardly toia reservoin'66 carried by the bracket- 45=whiclr carrieszthe waxingroll 5% A baffle (not shown.) within: casing L9 prevents the direct passage-oh finidifronipipe 64 co-pipe 65: and thus insures circulation throughcasing 49.. From the resenvoir 66 apipe 67 leads to the top left handi end of the shaft 40. The shaft 40iis bored axially and fixed in the bore is ametalisti ip 68 which divides the boreinto twoipassages 69 '20 so that oil; passing-down the pipe 67 travels along the passage 69' and then back along the passage 70. A pipe 71' leads: from. the p assage TO back to/the heating coil 101.. The reservoi rfid and pipe leading to'itpermit: the casing; 49 and roll d6 to be moved away from the roll 5' when desired. An oil gump: 103; inserted in the return pipe- 71, is. xed below the heater 1011,v to the bracket which carries the heater'andisd'riven from; a pulley" fixed on the countershaft through which the waxing roll is driven. It will be noted" that in the above. arrangement the. oil' is conducted serially through the various passages, thereby insuring-a fuil' supply of heat to both rolls.

The oil is heated by a gas burner 105 the supply cock 107 of which is connected by a link 111 (Fig. 1) to the hand lever 113 of the ered with a fabric such as is'used for shoe linings and has a suede finish on one face, the latter face constituting the working face of the covered tool.

In using the machine the worker preferably holds the shoe throughout the finishing operation with the forepart of the upper (on the last) in his left hand and with his right hand grasping the heel end of the shoe. Holding the. shoe thus'bottom upwards he moves it to and fro (with the toe end more or less rearward) in contact with the lower or lower front portion of the waxing roll 5 to distribute wax, which he has previously applied to the roll by holding a lump of wax against it and by moving it along the roll over the shoe bottom, and having done this to his satisfaction without any substantial change of his general position, he presents the shoe in the same way to the bottom burnishing roll 6 (which is kept warm as hereinbefore described if it is desired to use a heated roll) and burnishes the forepart and as much as he can of the waist by this roll. Then he burfinishes that part of the waist which cannot be operated upon by the roll 6 by presenting the shoe to the roll 9. He then and still without substantial change of his general position or of his manner of presenting the shoe,

presents the latter to the rotarypad? and thereby burnishes that port-ion of the waist which the presence of the heel and the sizeand shape of the bottom burnishing rolls prevented him from burnishing on the latter. He may also use the edge of the covered rotary pad 7 to burnish the heel breast or by suitable change of his presentation of the work use the top surface of the covered pad for that purpose. If he prefers heinay use the rotary pad before using the bottom burnishing roll.

The use of the roll 9 will depend upon the size of the waist portion not reached by the roll 6. In some cases it may be found that the portion remaining to be burnished can be effectively operated upon by the pad 7, in

the pad 7 may then be used to burnish up to the heel and also, if desired, the heel breast.

After having burnished the shoe bottom and the heel breast he gives these parts a final polish with the brush 8 still holding the shoe in the same general way.

The arrangement of the various devices in the cases described is such as regards their sequence from right to left and their actual disposition that, holding the shoe in a natural way, the operator can speedily and with a minimum of change in his mode of holding the shoe and of his actual stance present the work to the requisite tools and perform the requisite operations in an exceedingly con- I venient order. 7

Having described our invention whatwe claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A roll for applying wax to leather or for burnishing leather, comprising a hub, a felt roll mounted on said hub, a stockinet cover for said felt roll, means for clamping one end of said coverto the hub, and means to grip the other end of the cover independently of the roll and to hold the cover stretched over the roll.

2. A tool for burnishing leather comprising a hub, a felt roll mounted on said hub, and a cover surrounding said roll and attached at one end to said hub and at the other end to a gripping means axially slidable on said hub to tension said cover over the roll.

3. A wax applying tool comprising a hub, a felt roll supported by said hub, a fabric cover for the roll, means on said hub at either side of said roll for gripping said cover, said means being constructed and arranged for relatively free axial movement to tension the gripping means relativelyfixed. v V

1. A wax applying tool comprising a felt roll, a fabric cover for the roll, a hub sup-- porting said roll and constructed and arranged to grip one end of said cover, gripping means for the other end of the cover slidably mounted on said hub, and means for adjustably separating said gripping means to tension the cover over the felt roll on said hub.

5. In a machine for waxing leather, a hub adapted to carry a wax-applying roll, means carried upon each end of said hub for gripp ng a cover for said roll, one of said grip ping means being splined upon said hub and having'a threaded portion extending longi tudinally of the axis of the hub, and a threaded member adapted to engage said threaded portion of said gripping member and to be held by said hub against motion longitudi-- nally of the axis of said hub, whereby rotation of said member Will serve to adjust said gripping members mutually in longitudinal relation to tension the cover.

6. In a machine for waxing leather, :1 holow shaft, a hub mounted on said shaft, a ielt roll earned by said hub, a fabric cover for said roll, cover-gripping means carried at each end of said hub, said means bein mutually adjustable longitudinallv of th axis ofthe hub to tension said fabric cover,-

and means for conducting a heated fluid through the interior of said shaft.

7. A machine for applying Wax to leather, comprising a Wax-applying roll, means for driving said roll, control means for starting and stopping said driving means, means for supplying heat to said roll, and control-means for said heat supply actuated by the operation of said driving control means.

8. A machine for applying Wax to leather, comprising a Wax-applying roll, means for driving said roll, control means for starting and stopping said driving means, a circulatory system having a portion of heat-exchange relation to said roll, means for circulating a fluid through said system, a source of heat for said fluid, and control means for said source and so connected to said driving control as to turn on the heat When the roll is started and to shut off the heat when the roll is stopped.

9. A machine for applying Wax to leather, comprising a Wax-applying roll, a drive shaft for said roll, driving connections between said roll and said shaft, a circulatory system for a heated fluid having a portion in heatexchange relation to said roll, a heater for the fluid in said system, a pump for circulating the fluid in said system, and driving connections between said pump and said shaft.

10. A machine for Waxing leather, comprising a Wax-applying roll adapted to be coated With Wax for application to the leather, a Wax-spreading roll engaging said Waxapplying roll, and means for supplying a heated fluid serially into heat-exchange relation to said rolls.

11. A machine for Waxing leather, comprising a Waxapplying roll adapted to be coated With wax for application to the leather, a Wax-spreading roll, each of said rolls being adapted to conduct a fluid, means for rotatably supporting said rolls in mutual engagement, and means for conducting a heated fluid serially through said rolls.

12. A machine for Waxing leather, comprising a Wax-applying roll adapted to be coated with Wax for application to the leather, a Wax-spreading ro1l,-each of said rolls being adapted internally to receive a supply of fluid, supporting means for said rolls permitting relative movement between said rolls into and out of a position of mutual engagement, and means for supplying a heated fluid serially to said rolls.

13. A machine for Waxing leather, comprising a pair of substantially parallel hollow axles, a Wax-applying roll mounted on one of said axles and adapted to be coated with Wax for application to the leather, a wax-spreading roll mounted on the other said axle and adapted to engage said Wax-applying roll, and means for circulating a heated fluid serially through said axles.

14. A machine for Waxing leather, comprising a pair of substantially parallel hollow axles, a Wax-applying roll mounted on one of said axles, an eccentric sleeve mounted on the other said axle, a Wax-spreading roll rotatably mounted on said sleeve whereby roa tation of the sleeve Will bring the said Waxspreading roll into and out of engagment With the said Wax-applying roll, and means for circulating a heated fluid serially through said axles.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

WVILLIAM RODERICK BARCLAY.

REGINALD BOYD WOODCOCK. 

